By Carolina Planning Journal
EVERYDAY LIFE AND THE POLITICS OF PLACE
“The way we think about space matters. It inflects our understandings of the world, our attitudes to others, our politics.”
—Doreen Massey
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the importance of space, place, and daily experiences in our lives resurfaced. In Volume 49 of the Carolina Planning Journal, we want to reflect on the meaning, politics, and experiences of space, place, and everyday life. We will explore questions such as: How do we produce space? What values shape the production of space? Who produces space? Who has the right to the city or a specific space? How have social movements worldwide created alternative spaces? What role do our disciplines play in these considerations?
This debate has been explored in the fields of urban planning, geography, cultural theory, sociology, architecture, and anthropology, among others. It allows us to imagine space beyond a two-dimensional, empty backdrop solely for building structures. Instead, space is social and political, it is a living relationship with nature and each other, and it is a place for community and festivity. By examining our conception of space, we can question how capitalism, colonialism, racism, globalization, and more have diminished our relationship with space and one another.
Students, professionals, and researchers from a range of disciplines are invited to submit proposals that explore the production of space across the world. We invite creative approaches to the topic shared through written pieces, media, or a mix of the two.
Example topics include, but are not restricted to:
- EVERYDAY LIFE, and how we can imagine and produce new possibilities for resistance and political change in the triviality of daily life.
- SENSE AND POLITICS OF PLACE, and the influence globalization has had in places and our sense of place.
- URBAN REVOLUTION, and the role of urbanism in shaping society. What is our relationship with each other and with nature? How can we reshape urbanization?
- RIGHTS TO THE CITY as to who has the right to claim space, including issues related to informal economies, housing justice, immigrant communities, and other relevant factors.
- THIRD SPACES, and how American society often lacks a space that is not work or home. How can we fill the void that capitalism creates, and how do we produce these alternatives?
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
By September 15, 2023, interested authors should submit a 2-page proposal. Proposals should include a title, a description of the proposed topic and its significance, a brief summary of the literature or landscape (if appropriate), and a preliminary list of references (not counted toward the page limit). Final papers typically do not exceed 3,000 words. Submit proposals and questions to CarolinaPlanningJournal@gmail.com.
By October 15, 2023, Carolina Planning Journal will notify authors regarding their proposals. Authors will submit the <3,000-word draft by December along with a short biography, an abstract, and any relevant graphics. Editors will work with authors on drafts over the winter.
The Journal will be published at the end of Spring 2024. Carolina Planning Journal reserves the right to edit articles accepted for publication, subject to the author’s approval, for length, style, and content considerations.
Please submit proposals and questions to CarolinaPlanningJournal@gmail.com
